Serial Number: 89764 Roy Smeck

Year shipped: 1933

FON: 566

Headstock: Horizontal ‘The Gibson’ logo, factory original truss rod cover hand engraved with Roy Smeck’s name,

Neck/fingerboard: 19 fret fingerboard with square end and wide pearloid block inlays from the third fret

Body: Maple back and sides

Hardware: Gold-plated metal parts including Grover trapeze tailpiece engraved with Roy Smeck’s name (see Notes below) and individual tuners, the buttons of which are hand engraved with ‘S’ motif

Notes: Fingerboard has been refretted. Replacement pickguard

This guitar was custom built for Roy Smeck. Joe Spann of Gruhn Guitars adds: “While the tailpiece is unusual for a Gibson, the guitar shows no evidence of ever having had any other tailpiece installed. The tailpiece itself is a Grover product and is period correct. Though Gibson is not known to have used this specific tailpiece on any of their other guitars, it seems likely that the item – which is engraved with Roy Smeck’s name – was fitted at his request.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Images courtesy of George Gruhn of Gruhn Guitars

The tailpiece pictured above was specially made for Martin by the Grover Company and is clearly the same item fitted to L-5 89764.